NAVIGATING LIFE AFTER COLLEGE

Graduating from college is a big accomplishment and can feel both exciting and relieving, especially after spending so many late nights studying, working hard on assignments and group projects you thought you'd never finish and juggling a social life amidst all the stress. It can also feel scary and overwhelming as you might not know exactly what you want to do with your life after college. All of a sudden, as the dust settles after taking graduation photos and celebrating this milestone, you’re expected to know what career you’ll commit to and how to act like a “proper adult”. It can feel difficult to face this life transition into young adulthood as you may have spent the last few years in this weird limbo between teenage-hood and adulthood. During this time, you probably got your first real taste of independence by managing your own class schedule and eating, sleeping, and socializing whenever you wanted. However, no one expected you to have all the answers or know exactly what you were doing with your life just yet. For this reason, graduating from college can feel like a rude awakening as you may feel the pressure to quickly figure out your life with societal expectations starting to set in. If you’re feeling lost and overwhelmed with anxiety after graduating college, you’re not alone. Here are some helpful tips to manage what can often feel like an awkward transition into adulthood:

Explore Your Values

It can feel taxing deciding what you want to do in life when you are not only faced with societal expectations, but also have family members imposing their ideas of success onto you. For example, your family may tell you that you should prioritize finding a lucrative, high-status job that will enhance your reputation and make them proud. While your family may mean well, their beliefs may not ultimately align with your hopes and dreams in life. So before you conform to what your family or society expects of you, it may be helpful to take some time to self-reflect and challenge these expectations with questions like:

Do I need to make a certain amount of money to be happy and successful?

Do I need my parents to approve of my career choice and what would their approval mean to me?

What would happen if I allowed myself to follow my own unique path?

** Identify what really matters to you in life and give yourself permission to reject expectations that don’t feel aligned to you **

What does your ideal life look and feel like? What do you believe in?

What qualities are you seeking in a career and why?

What lights you up in life?

Figuring out your core values will help you make life decisions that feel aligned and authentic.

Trust Your Instincts

It's easy to feel anxious and overwhelmed when many employers ask you for your “5-year plan”. If you recently graduated from college, you may not know exactly what you want your future to look like. This is normal as most people don’t have it all figured out. Instead of spiraling and trying to come up with a lofty, detailed plan for your future, try to focus on one small step that you can take that feels right in the moment. Some questions to consider are:

What are you curious about?

What types of careers pique your interest?

What skills might you want to learn?

Following your intuition in these small ways can bring more clarity later on.

Learn Financial Literacy

Most of us did not learn critical financial skills in school such as how to budget and save, do taxes, manage student loans, build your credit score, and so on. While it might not be the most exciting topic to learn and could even stir up difficult emotions in you depending on your relationship to money, developing financial literacy is an empowering step in becoming an adult. Understanding the basics can give you the confidence to make informed life decisions like negotiating your salary and managing debt. You can start small by tracking your spending, opening a savings account, and setting financial goals.

Don’t Compare Yourself on Social Media

It’s easy to compare yourself to your peers while scrolling through social media, as everyone mostly posts their highlight reel and doesn’t show the struggles they may be navigating behind the scenes. Keeping this in mind, the next time you see your peers share their career accomplishments or milestones like marriage and kids, remember that this is only one slice of their life. You don’t see the anxiety, overthinking, or internal conflicts that they went through while working on their goals. When you’re in a phase of figuring things out, it may help to reduce your time on social media to protect your mental health.

Build Community

Having a strong support system can make this life transition feel a little easier as it can help to not only talk through your anxieties with friends, but also encourage one another to pursue your dreams and goals. Friends can be your cheerleaders at a time when you may feel unsure of yourself. Setting up regular hangouts, especially with friends in a similar life stage, can make you feel less alone by providing a much-needed space to vent about common post-college-life struggles such as finding a job and figuring out who you are now that you’re no longer a college student. Group activities with friends can even be a source of levity and fun during this stressful time, allowing space for laughter and play. As you grow and discover new parts of yourself, you may benefit from making new friends who align with your evolving values and bring new perspectives. Making new friends as an adult can feel awkward, but the more you practice getting outside your comfort zone and putting yourself out there, the easier it will get. Learning the art of making new friends can increase your confidence overall.

Taking Care of Yourself

Finding ways that help you decompress and manage stress is essential, especially while managing big life changes like graduating from college. Whether it is journaling, taking walks in your local park, dancing, or going to therapy, it helps to find something to clear your head and manage difficult emotions.

Find a Mentor

Connecting with someone who is a little further along in life who can help you navigate career challenges can be tremendously helpful during this time. This could be a former professor, an older friend, a current manager, or someone else you admire. They can provide you with guidance and advice as you figure out your career path. The transition into adulthood is not easy as it involves a long process of trial and error, figuring out what decisions make sense for you and your life. It’s normal to feel lost at times, but remember that you are not alone on this journey and can carve out a meaningful and authentic life for yourself, one step at a time. Self-compassion goes a long way when acclimating to life after college.